1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information notification system and a method thereof as well as a navigation system and a method thereof, and more particularly to an information notification system and a method thereof which displays service information on shops or the like on a portable terminal and notifies a user, as well as a navigation system and a method thereof which notifies a future destination or route of the user.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable communication terminals (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cportable terminalsxe2x80x9d) such as mobile telephones, PDA (Personal Data Assistance) and PIM (Personal Information Manager) have remarkably become widespread. Some of such portable terminals known are capable of using information delivery service via the Internet in addition to essential functions such as calling or recording of schedules.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-269923 discloses an information and advertising distribution system and method which distribute information matching subscriber""s interests to subscriber""s computer during time periods in which the subscriber""s computer is inactive. However, there is a problem such that the system can be used simply for displaying delivered information on a screen saver or the like since the system does not retrieve and deliver information desired by a user.
Also known is an information delivery system where a user can input keywords for retrieval in a mobile telephone and retrieve desired service information on shops or the like, which has a problem such that the user himself has to input many appropriate keywords for obtaining shop information or the like desired by the user from enormous pieces of shop information or the like.
Such portable terminals have been increasingly miniaturized, and especially portable terminals such as portable telephones or the like without full keyboards have a problem such that a method of inputting characters are still complicated. Also, use of the Internet by a conventional information terminal is a part of use of the Internet by a personal computer or the like, and full advantage is not taken of features of the Internet by the conventional information terminal.
When previously checking a travel itinerary or a romantic itinerary for couples, sightseeing places, restaurants, routes or the like matching a desired or expected situation have been decided with reference to guide books or town information magazines.
Also known is a service such that a service provider receives positional information obtained by a mobile telephone, a personal handyphone system (PHS), or the like, from retrieval information using the Internet, and provides information or a menu matching a current position of a user in real time.
However, if sightseeing places or routes are checked with reference to information in guide books, town information magazines, travel guides, romantic itinerary guides for couples, or the like, real time information cannot be obtained since such guide books or the like contain past old information. This causes a problem such that when actually visiting the places, situations thereof are changed, and a travel cannot be achieved as expected. Further, there is also a problem such that the information in the guidebook is preset information, and does not match user""s feeling or wish in many cases.
In receiving retrieval information using the Internet, there is a possibility that information or a menu matching the current position of the user can be obtained in real time, but each piece of information is independent, and the user himself has to selectively combine independent pieces of information which are not related to one another. That is, the user has to combine point information on each place with route information and time information for making a plan.
Therefore, the user himself has to make a plan for the itinerary or service, and there is a problem such that the user cannot make the plan for the itinerary or service well without knowledge to some extent on destination information or route information. There is also a problem such that current information matching the current position can be obtained, but current information on a destination cannot be obtained.
The present invention is achieved in view of the above described circumstances, and has its object to provide an information notification system and a method thereof which can provide appropriate service information required by a user according to a current position or an age of the user, time, or the like by a push type information notification system.
In order to attain the above described object, the present invention is directed to an information notification system which notifies a user of service information on shops or the like according to a current position of the user and a profile of the user, including: a first input device through which the user inputs his profile such as a sex, a birthday or an occupation; a position detecting device which detects the current position of the user; a recording device which previously records the service information on the shops or the like associated with the current position of the user and the profile information on the sex, the age and the occupation of the user; a retrieving device which retrieves and selects the service information on the shops or the like recorded in the recording device according to the inputted profile and the detected current position of the user; and a display device which displays the selected service information and notifies the user.
According to the invention, there are provided the first input device through which the user inputs his profile such as the sex, the birthday or the occupation; the position detecting device which detects the current position of the user; the recording device which previously records the service information on the shops or the like associated with the current position of the user and the profile information on the sex, the age, and the occupation of the user; the retrieving device which retrieves and selects the service information on the shops or the like recorded in the recording device according to the inputted profile and the detected current position of the user; and the display device which displays the selected service information and notifies the user, thereby permitting providing appropriate service information required by the user to the user by a push type information notification system.
The present invention is achieved in view of the above described situations, and has its object to provide a navigation system and a method thereof which successively notifies a user of destinations and action instructions when the user inputs a destination or purpose action in a portable terminal.
In order to attain the above described object, the present invention is directed to a navigation system which notifies a future destination of a user, including: a storing device which previously stores destination information matching a date, a time period, a cost, number of persons, transportation, evaluation information, a purpose or the like in action by the user, associated with user information on an age, a sex or a preference of the user; an input device through which the user inputs his profile such as the age, the sex or the preference; a processing device which selects a destination or action information on an action order or the like associated with the inputted profile from the destination information stored in the storing device according to a predetermined algorithm; and a notifying device which notifies the user of the selected action information.
According to the invention, there are provided the storing device which previously stores the destination information matching the date, the time period, the cost, the number of persons, or the transportation, the evaluation information, the purpose or the like in the action by the user, associated with the user information on the age, the sex or the preference of the user; the input device through which the user inputs his profile such as the age, the sex or the preference; the processing device which selects the destination or the action information on the action order or the like associated with the inputted profile from the destination information stored in the storing device according to the predetermined algorithm; and the notifying device which notifies the user of the selected action information, thereby permitting successively notifying the user of destinations and action instructions when the user inputs a destination or purpose action in a portable terminal.